US1168374A - Game-counter. - Google Patents

Description

G. H. BARKER.

GAME COUNTER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 30, 19H. RENEWED JULY 12, 1915.

1,168,374. Patented J an. 18, 1916.

2 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

THE coLuMum PLANOGRAPH co, WASHINGTON, D. c.

G. H. BARKER.

GAME COUNTER.

APPLICATION r1121) OCT. 30. 1911. RENEWED JULY 12. 1915.

1,168,374, Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WZr ififiea' v 622257 THE COLUMBIA PLANOCIRAPH cm, WASHINGTON. n. c.

' GEORGE BARKER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

I GAME-COUNTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

Application filed October 30, 1911, Serial No. 657,433. Renewed July 12, 1915. Serial No. 39,522.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. BARKER, a citizenof the United ijtates, and resident of Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game- (Jounters, of which the following is a specifie cation.

My invention relates to game counters and has particular reference to a counter for use in the game of cribbage. The counters heretofore used in connection with the game of cribbage have usually consisted of a board provided with four parallel rows of holes, each of two players using half of the board. There are ordinarily thirty holes in each row and as the game consists of one hundred and twenty points, it has been necessary to count over the rows twice. This occasions confusion as the players may not remember whether they are on the first or last turn in the count. would, of course, be possible to construct a board with one hundred and twenty holes for each player but this would make a board of awkward size, and would necessitate a considerable reach to the extremities of the board. Furthermore in counting on the parallel rows the players sometime become confused as to the direction in which they are counting on the particular row for the reason that on the lower row they count toward the left and on the upper row toward the right.

One of the objects of my invention is the construction of a board having holes or recesses for the counting pegs, the holes being arranged so that the player always counts in one direction and without retracing his steps or using the same holes twice in one game. This I accomplish byarranging the holes in the form of a spiral, the player preferably beginning at the outside spiral and ending the game with the central opening. By thus arranging the board it will be seen that space is economized; that instead of arranging the board for two players, each player may be given a small indi-.

vidual board and that therefore the number of players is not limited; that the count is always in one direction; that direction being preferably clockwise and that the count- To avoid this it 5 ing holes are arranged more compactly thus obviating the reach necessary in many of the present boards.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 is a plan view of an individual game counter arranged in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 illustrates a modification of the construction of Fig. 1, wherem the board is rectangular and the holes arranged accordingly although still in the same generally spiral outline; Fig. 1 is a still further modification in shape, the outline in this case being octagonal, and Fig. 5 is a still further modification showing the construction of Fig. l as applied to a single board for two players.

Referring more particularly to the drawings it will be seen that the base or board 10, which may be of any preferred construction, is provided with a plurality of holes 11, these holes being arranged in spiral form. In counting it will, of course, be understood that pegs are used, which pegs are fitted into the holes 11. Preferably I provide also a number of additional perforations 12, in which the extra pegs may be kept and in which the score of the complete games may also be kept.

Referring to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the board 13 is square and that the perforations 1 1, while following the outline of the board, are arranged in generally spiral outline.

In Fig. 4: I have shown an octagonal board 15, and likewise the holes 16, while following the outline of the board, still follow their generally spiral path.

In Fig. 5, I provide a board 17, on which are arranged two sets of counting holes, the holes being arranged exactly as shown in Fig. 1. 7

While I have shown my game counter as formed from a simple board with holes therein, it will be understood that the board tions therein; also that other and further form of a spiral, said spiral extending in a modifications may be made all Without decontinuous line from the center to the outer parting from the spirit of my invention. edge of the base, substantially as described. 10

I claim: GEORGE H. BAR-KER. 5 A game counter composed of a base havlVitnesses:

ing a line of counting recesses therein, said MAY K. PYLE, line being arranged substantially in the LILLIAN C. LOFTUS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents Washington, I). C.

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